Getaway - Part 1

Yen's weekend away began in the very early morning and most of us struggled to get enough sleep and we headed on our roadtrip to Denmark.

Our hen's only request was that we have a lunch stop somewhere so we wouldn't miss the footy final. We ended up at Mt. Barker's pub to watch the game. Then finally arrived at Chimes Spa Resort.

Let the fun begin...

Yen's Night Out

It's been a long time coming.

The agenda was dinner and dessert at The Old Swan Brewery followed by drinks, dancing and dares at Red Sea.

Early on Yen had already expressed her concerns to the bridesmaids,

"You know how some people say that they don't want strippers and stuff but deep, down they really do? Well deep down, I really don't. Strictly no strippers or spanking!" (with memories of Marina's hen's night still fresh in her mind).

So being the good girlfriends we are, we adhered to her requests.

Most of us haven't gone dancing in a club for yonks. The music was loud and unknown, the only good looking guy was the glassie, we were tired and needed a coffee.

"Am I doing this right? I feel like we need glowsticks or something" hahaha *classic*

It was a lot of fun to paint the town red with the girls again (with 3 of them flying in that night).

Hope you had a great night sweetie! Can't wait for the big day to see you in your dress, proper veil and all. How freakin' excitement!

Where are we again?

It was great to catch up with some JET girls the other night.

Felicity had driven up to Perth for a few days and organised dinner. We went to arirang in Subiaco because Lisa used to be the manager there. We missed ya! So this one's for you sweetie - you'd be pleased that we really enjoyed our food.

Too many cooks mean too much good food

Brendon had people around his house on Saturday for a BBQ-footy-fest. Was very impressed by the burger meat patties El and Pete made. They were so tasty and freakin' huge.

Bau and El busy cooking while the boys were inside watching the footy

Then it was to Ron's house for a homemade dinner. Very impressive. Same time next week eh?

soup

entree

main

Green tea cake from Cakes Delight in Applecross (they also do a 'durian cake' there and the 'pear william' is another favourite).

Li'en organised a surprise dinner on Sunday for Choong's birthday. Well done for pulling it off - his expression through the door was priceless! Choong is a very lucky guy. Li'en is an amzing cook ~ the creamy mushroom pasta and Oreo cheesecake were delicious!

How to settle in

Making up for being away (and getting to act like a kid again).

Karen and the boys

Eating out at your favourite restaurant (again and again).

Brendon and Melissa

Cooking - Brendon's first attempt at carbonara and my first attempt at shucking fresh oysters with a butter knife.

Learn from our mistakes;

• Don't use thickened cream unless you want your carbonara sauce very, very think and very, very rich.
• Use a tea towel or protective gloves when shucking oysters. Even better, a proper shucking knife!

Going out with friends who you haven't seen in ages.

The boys

...and the girls

Father's Day HG style

Japan celebrates Father's Day on the third Sunday of June, where as us folk in Oz celebrate it on the first Sunday of September.

Hard Gay (aka HG) is a Kansai comedian known for his crazy gyrating, pelvic thrusting antics, famous catch phrase "Foooo!" and black, pvc hot pants, studded vest, sunglasses and cap outfit.

I first saw HG on TV doing some variety show out front Himeji Castle. I remember laughing and thinking, "What the hell is this guy wearing? and doing?"

Then some of my boys in class would randomly yell out "Foooo!" and one boy even acted as HG during one of the shopping role plays we did (ie. he entered the classroom 'shop' with "Fooo!" and told the shopkeeper that he wanted to buy "black shorts, black no sleeve t-shirt, black glasses and black cap.") The other kids loved it and the other teacher and myself couldn't help but laugh.

HG is from the town Kakogawa. Lisa lives there and says her kids think HG is a hero. One of the teachers I teach with went to the same high school as HG in Kakogawa.

You can buy HG costumes and figurines from Tokyu Hands. Although I was a little startled to see that you could win plush Winnie the Pooh and Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) toys dressed up as HG from the UFO catcher machines. Should have taken a photo!

This clip is one of my favourites (and there's English subtitles too). Classic.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFKpriH8s0g

Enjoy!